http://ow.ly/2HHhX ATTORNEYS USE DROPBOX – SAFELY If attorneys ONLY use DropBox in conjunction with end user encryption software, such as the free TrueCrypt, they can be confident the data contained in their files is secure. I just ♥ simple (and free). Instructions on downloading and installing TrueCrypt can be found on Ben's blog here: http://ow.ly/3hu9W and combining it with Dropbox here: http://ow.ly/3huft December 2010 If you are like most business owners, you’ve spent the last quarter of the year pushing off new projects or putting off the thought of changing anything until “after the 1st of the Year”. Guess what? You’re running out of time! If you haven’t already investigated and found ways to improve how you get things done in 2011, likelihood is, you’ll continue using the same inefficient or even antiquated business processes for another full year. Here’s 3 simple things I share with my clients in order to help them improve their workflow: 1. Write stuff down in the same spot. Notebook or my preferred: a calendar with large notes section for each day. I don’t like an electronic device for this task as your brain thinks differently when holding a pen and writing. Keep this notebook/calendar with you AT ALL TIMES. Even if you are just running out to do something. Waiting in line, while in traffic or at the doctor’s office is a great time to go through past entries and/or update your calendar. 2. Use your calendar fully. Don’t just mark deadlines and appointments. Schedule the time you need to complete incoming items and projects you identify from all that stuff you’re now writing down. I also like to block out a few mornings each week for writing projects and a few afternoons for phone/filing/admin type work. 3. Compile your contacts. You know you have 100’s (if not 1000’s) of business cards lying around. Gather them all into one spot (shoebox, old pocketbook, large envelope) and get them added to your electronic rolodex/contact management software. This is one of those projects that is best broken down into smaller bits. Scan or type 10 a day, until they are all entered. Eventually, you will have all your contacts in one spot and organized – ready to be asked if they can be added to your newsletter list or other keep in touch marketing materials. Implement these 3 small changes and reap the benefits of an improved workflow in 2011. Happy Holidays! ‘tis the Season…to start When I started seeing recommendations for attorneys to use DropBox popping up all over the web, I contacted my favorite legal tech, Ben Schorr, of Roland & Schorr and asked him: Is DropBox a service you recommend attorneys use? Ben stated that while he does not know much about DropBox nor read their TOS, a great solution is to eliminate any threat altogether.2 Many people remember the word ‘scrivener’ from Herman Melville’s short story, Bartleby the Scrivener. Melville’s character is best remembered as a drone office worker who “preferred not to” do any work. Bartleby’s signature line echoed in my brain when I heard several respected writers raving about a great writing program for the Mac called “Scrivener.” Since these were respected writers who recommended the program as a revolutionary way of writing, I wasn’t going to dismiss it. But, as I contemplated the prospect of actually learning to use it, I thought “I’d prefer not to.” Since I am preparing an opposition to a motion, I created sections for each argument made in the papers drafted by my adversary. I may not need one section for each argument, but for now this it helps me see what the structure of my document will be. At any time I can merge sections, break up long sections, create new sections and move them up and down, rearranging their order. The area colored in orange labeled #4 is where I can view my research documents or the opponent’s memo. Once I have The Legal Connection E-zine : December 2010 complex documents to focus on assembling those documents with minimal attention to needless aspects of document creation such as formatting. Scrivener is particularly well suited for those dependent on research. Here’s how I used it recently to create an Opposition to a Motion to Dismiss. If you look at the red box labeled #1 in the screenshot, you’ll see a “Research” folder with sub-items. This is where I can drag URL’s, PDFs, Word documents etc. For this project, I dragged and dropped a PDF copy of the memo in support of the motion, along with PDFs of key cases that relate to the law I would be dealing with. In the green box (labeled #2), I created a “Draft” folder where I have started to assemble short modules of text that relate to one section, or part of a section, of my working document. The beauty of Scrivener is that it assumes that I will be working on lots of different sections, and it allows me to do that without having to worry about the exact order of those sections. I can always drag them into different positions later. The area inside the blue box (labeled #3) is where I write each section of text. Before starting, I define which section I’m working on by clicking on one of the modules listed in area #2. Out of guilt, and perhaps some curiosity, I did make a few lame efforts to probe the benefits of Scrivener. For the most part, I failed to grasp its utility for a lawyer. Recently, however, I decided to make a stronger effort and now I can say that Scrivener is an indispensable tool for all of my writing. So, here I go with the pitch: I know you’d prefer not to learn to use a new writing program, but this one is worth it even Windows users (I’ll explain why at the end. In a nutshell, Scrivener has created a writing environment that makes it easy for people who create have decided not to include in the memo), and I can opt for a different font style or change my formatting in any way I want. The last step involves cleaning up the document in a program like Word or Wordperfect, which is quick and painless because there is nothing left to do except the formatting. Scrivener creates the output as an RTF file, or an RTF-D should you wish to embed/include image files with the text. Scrivener is a powerful tool, and it’s perfect for legal writing. I know you’d prefer not to learn a new writing program, but trust me this one is worth investigating. And if you have a Windows computer I have good news: there is beta version available (http://legaltypist.com/scrivenerforwindows) that has all the features I mentioned. Check it out if you want to make it easier to create those complex legal documents you are always agonizing over. completed all the sections and filled them with text, I am ready to finalize the document by selecting the “compile” option. I then decide what I want to include and what format the final file should be. I can choose to output only certain sections (which allows me to keep a section I worked on but Tech Review *Ernie the Attorney practices commercial litigation in New Orleans and believes that the practice of law is largely an "information processing business". Through his blogs and lectures, Ernie shares simple ways lawyers can process their information more easily and therefore be more efficient. To learn from Ernie, visit http://www.PDFforlawyers.com http://www.DigitalWorkFlowCLE.com3 It’s also the season many of you are crazy busy and often burnt out, so I’ll offer just five ideas for what you might want to do differently in the new year: 1. Delegate and outsource what you can. Leverage is a prime driver of profitability, and, if you’re talking about getting rid of the things that bore you, a prime driver of happiness too. Get real about building a business that works; get help! 2. Just say no. Resolve to make that last one you wish you hadn’t taken the last one ever. 3. Break your addiction to chaos. If you’re constantly in a state of high drama, it’s because you choose it. What are you getting from being out of control? C’mon. Is that really the way to get the life you want? 4. Get out of your office more. Use the phone more. Marketing is about creating highquality “know, like and trust” relationships. Person to person connections are more effective. 5. Get over the money thing. You’re worth at least what you’re charging. Raise the issue of fees and budget before your client does, and don’t offer concessions. Earning money starts with talking about it. Think about it. What does your list of things to do differently in 2011 look like? Barbara Nelson helps lawyers and other professionals learn the rocket science of action. She’s grateful to LegalTypist for the opportunity to show up here and to each of you for reading. Barbara is a huge fan of the value of a gratitude journal and delighted to give you a reason to try it! http://www.successfullysolo.com/blog Bar Nuts These nuts won the “best bar nuts in New York” award from The New York Press. They’re from one of our favorite restaurants, Union Square Café. Make vats of them and share! ’tis the season…to think differently about what you might do in 2011! by Barbara Nelson The Legal Connection E-zine : December 2010 Add something different to your year end as wellhere’s what I’d make and give you, wrapped up in a pretty package, if we were more than virtual pals. These are wonderful! 1 ¼ pound unsalted, assorted nuts (pecans, cashews, peeled peanuts, unpeeled almonds, etc.) 2 T coarsely chopped rosemary ½ teaspoon cayenne 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 tablespoon butter, melted 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F 2. Toss the nuts in a large bowl to combine and spread them out on a cookie sheet. Toast in the oven until they become light golden brown, about 10 minutes. 3. In a large bowl, combine the rosemary, cayenne, brown sugar, salt and melted butter. 4. Thoroughly toss the warm toasted nuts with the spiced butter. Hope you enjoy them! Best wishes, Barbara4 Only from the mind of … OK. I get that pants tucked into boots are the newest and latest fashion. But let's get real. Not everyone should be tucking their jeans into their boots OR wearing leggings. Not to say there isn't a way to adopt the style to suit your size . . . but people . . . jeggings (jean/leggings) and boot tucking just aren't for everyone! If you are very tall and very thin -you can probably get away with MOST combinations of leggings/jeans/boots and tucking. If you are not very tall and very thin – which I guess is about the other 93% of the population -here are a few things to think about when combining pants and boots: If you have even a slightly large rear – consider NOT tucking your pants into your boots. Drawing the eye down and adding bulk on a woman’s lower half is hardly ever flattering. Anyone that tucks their pants into their boots, MUST wear a sweater/shirt/top that covers at least ¾ of the butt. Otherwise, your bottom half will looks REALLY BIG (even if it isn’t). This is particularly so when doing this pant/boot look with jeans. The Legal Connection E-zine : December 2010 Pants and Boots You have to balance out the bulk of the boot with an appropriate top. If you are petite -pair your boots with a bulky Fisherman’s sweater or top your shirt or blazer with a big scarf. One more thing: skinny jeans (with pin straight leg) are really not flattering on very many body types. One of the few things that makes skinny jeans LESS flattering is to pair them with boots. I don't know why. I just know it is true. I see it all the time while in and about the Boston court houses. As a fairly average shaped woman of a not-sotall stature, I, frankly, would not be caught dead tucking my jeans into my boots! When I want to wear the high boots that I absolutely LOVE, I pair them with a skirt/sweater combo and I get to wear the colorful/fun tights now also the rage. Now, if only I could find a dress that I like so I could try that combo. The point is, you've had your body a long time, you know what works – proportion and fit are more important than trend. Oh and be certain to check how you look – front and back and head to toe before you go! Join Andrea Cannavina and lots of the contributors to TLCxn ezine in Chicago, April 11-13, 2011 for ABA Techshow. Meet tons of great people, learn a massive amount of information about running a successful law practice and have a little fun too!! Cheapest way to go is on a Superpass and LegalTypist groups are now forming. Email techshow@legaltypist .com and get added to the next group. You won’t regret it!5 Microsoft Exchange Online for their email and calendaring. This cost’s $25 a month ($300 a Year) for 5 email addresses. DropBox for as the file server. DropBox is free for the first 2gb, $10 a month for 50GB and $20 a month for 100GB. Since they are just starting off and don’t have that many documents they would be paying no money for DropBox. PCLaw for Time, Billing, and Accounting software. Besides being an amazing legal accounting package, it has a satellite version which allows users in remote locations to record time entries and simply email a file to the main office that is takes one mouse click to import. Here are the advantages of the System:  All the firm’s documents and files instantly synced to each machine: It takes about 3 seconds (depending on file size) for a document saved in one person’s DropBox to appear on another user’s machine.  30 Days* of Previous Versions of Documents: DropBox stores 30 days of previous versions of documents. Therefore if you accidentally delete or wipe out changes to your documents, DropBox will allow you to easily restore. *Other DropBox versions allow unlimited versioning.  Online Backup Included: All the firm’s documents are stored on each user’s machine and on the DropBox Server. PCLaw is setup to automatically backup at night into a folder in DropBox, so that is automatically backed up toDropBox’s server as well. Microsoft Hosted Exchange has a stored copy of everyone’s Outlook on its servers.  Online Access to Documents and Email: Microsoft Exchange Online allows you to view your Outlook in a browser and DropBox allows you to log into their site and download or upload any document.  Smart Phone Access to all your Documents: DropBox has a free App for the Blackberry, Android, iPhone, and iPad. These apps allow you to view and email documents. Depending on your device, you have the ability to edit them as well.  Work Offline without any extra steps: If you are on an airplane, and open your laptop DropBox, Outlook and PCLaw will allow you to work offline. When you get back to the office, you don’t have to do anything besides turning on your machine to reconnect.  The Firm always has all their Data: Microsoft and DropBox do store copies of your data on its servers but you have all the same data on your machines. If you canceled your Microsoft Online and DropBox Accounts, the Data would not be syncing to the cloud or to other machines but it would still be on your machines.  Minimal Maintenance: The Firm does not have to worry about their raid array crashing on their server and not being able to get to their documents or email. DropBox and Hosted Exchange are cloud based solutions but they use a synchronize method instead of having all your data just stored in the cloud. Therefore, if DropBox went down, you would not be getting new documents from other users, but you would still have all the documents on your machine.  No Accidental Deletions: In a traditional Server environment, if you accidentally delete a document from a Network Share it is gone for good. DropBox will keep a copy of that document for 30 days.  Cheap: An Exchange Server and a Terminal Server would cost two to three thousand dollars each and probably $4000 in consulting costs to set them up. That is not including additional costs like firewalls. We have replaced the servers with DropBox and Outlook which costs $25 a month for 5 users. I was recently approached by three attorneys that wanted to merge their practices into one firm. The unique challenge was they all lived in different cities. They needed to be able to view and collaborate on documents, record time and create pre-bills, and be able to email and view each other’s calendars. They also needed a billing and accounting program to keep track of all of their time and expenses. Five years ago they would have had to purchase two servers, one for exchange and one for terminal services. One office would be designated as the main office and the other two attorneys would remote into the terminal server. This would have been around a $10,000 project. Now, with technology advances, this can be done for a fraction of the price. There are three solutions I used to achieve the firm’s needs: Creating a Multi-Location Firm on a Shoe String Budget by Craig Bayer Craig Bayer is a legal technology consultant who regularly speaks for the Louisiana State Bar Association. Craig blogs about technology, hosted SharePoint and Exchange solutions in legal environments at: http://www.lawotblog.com/The Legal Connection E-zine : December 20106  Verify the subject’s social security number. This will show that the SSN was actually issued to this person as well as when and where it was issued.  Hand-search county court records in each jurisdiction where the subject has resided based on his or her address history. The statistical example: 85% of all arrests and convictions occur in the county of residence. However, take care when selecting your research supplier – they should be able to provide thorough research coverage extending to all 3,227 (or so, at last count) state counties, independent cities and township or village corporations across the United States.  Complete a federal criminal records search. A federal conviction or other information which indicates the subject may be or has been involved with federal authorities will not be revealed in a state county records check.  Narrow an online search of the thousands of news feeds for an arrest hit, if found, verify disposition of charges at the court of proper jurisdiction.  Become familiar with the Fair Credit Reporting Act -“FCRA”, available online prior to hiring employees. Any background research for employment purposes, (including obtaining a credit report), requires a separate stand-alone written release from the candidate. Most states have adopted the FCRA model in their respective legislation and several states also have further compliance mandates you need to follow. For due diligence review matters regarding private equity closings and other consumer initiated commercial transactions, the rules are a little different. A comprehensive background investigation is a must do for principals involved with various business transactions, private investments, bringing in new partners, examining suppliers and reviewing key hires for any company. In spite of what many background screening companies across the country claim and try to sell you, there is no such thing as a “National Criminal Record Database Check for $29.95.” Even when a firm does enjoy privileged access when undertaking criminal investigations on behalf of corporate clients and working with law enforcement, the data compiled by the National Crime Information Computer (NCIC), maintained by the FBI, the Law Enforcement Information Network (LEIN), maintained by each individual state, and other government information assembled by law enforcement on criminal matters IS NOT AVAILABLE for sale to private industry, and such sale or unauthorized access would violate both federal and state law. Best [research] methods for decision makers in the private sector to verify identity and achieve optimum results for criminal and civil record research in the U. S. include the following: My experience with government services, particularly consulting on investigations and reviews of candidates applying for sensitive positions requiring U.S. Government security clearances, a clear disqualifier for most is when information is not voluntarily disclosed and discussed up front. People make mistakes; this does not mean they're bad people. And, events do occur in life requiring each of us to face many challenges at times, such as a medical bankruptcy or other factors resulting in unforeseen financial distress. Criteria for refusal of a candidate should not be automatic upon the disclosure/discovery of negative or potentially adverse information. A frank discussion with the candidate or potential business partner to review background information is certainly appropriate. If you choose to proceed after these discussions, remember -trust is important, but verify. There is No Such Thing as a ‘National’ Criminal Background Check for $29.95 by Greg George Greg George is a senior advisor to professional services firms, CxO’s, investors and global banking center directors. Greg’s firm operates an intelligence fusion center available to the private sector. http://gti-advisors.com The Legal Connection E-zine : December 20107 The Legal Connection E-zine : December 20108 ‘Tis the season. What a stupid phrase. I guess it’s supposed to be short for “it is the season” and was shortened to fit into the structure Deck the Halls. Of course, I don’t know that for sure. I’m just guessing. What do you think I am, a Christmas Carol scholar? Personally, if I wanted to write the lyric “it is the season to be jolly” but it just didn’t fit within the rhythmic structure of the rest of the song and needed to be shortened by a syllable, I’d choose something else. “It’s the season. . .” works, and uses actual words. The thing is, the phrase didn’t need to be clipped; sing the song to yourself and replace “tis the season” with “it is the season,” go ahead. . . I’ll wait. See, it still works, no poetic license was needed. The rest of the song, however, desperately needs to be overhauled. I’ll won’t bother commenting on the “fa la la la la la la la las.” That’s just too easy. Oddly, the “fa la las” might not even be most nonsensical line of the song. “Deck the halls with boughs of holly” Is “Deck” short for decorate or some forgotten proper word? A bough is the main branch of a tree and holly is slightly poisonous. Who the Hell wants a tree trunk filled with poisonous berries in their house? “Tis the season to be jolly” See above. “Don we now our gay apparel” Sure, gay meant something different back in the stone ages, but it’s hard to think of that line now and not giggle. Especially if you happen to know a gay guy named Don. “Troll the ancient Yule tide carol” Huh? Trolling Carol? Add another “r” and an “l” to Carol and Don might be interested. “See the blazing Yule before us” Yule, I guess, means log, or maybe drunken relative from the old country. If it was a flaming Yule, maybe he’d like to meet Don and Carroll. “Strike the harp and join the chorus” You own a harp? Know anyone that owns a harp? Me either. “Follow me in merry measure--While I tell of Yule tide treasure” I think that means “sing the fa la la la las while I sing the rest of the song” which is some thing that should have been set forth well before the fourth stanza. “Fast away the old year passes--Hail the new, ye lads and lasses” In other words, death is lurking around every corner, waiting to pounce on the aged and frail, leaving the young to rejoice at the graves of the old that were standing in their way. Or, something like that, at least that’s how I interpret it. “Sing we joyous, all together” Hey, that makes sense and totally fits in to a festive holiday song! Sure, there is a little license taken with the phrase, but that’s understandable. Way to go, Anonymous Author, in coming up with one good line. “Heedless of the wind and weather” Hundreds of people die of exposure every winter. Maybe this line is encouraging the old and weak to go outside without proper attire. See “Fast away. . . ” above. Actually, maybe the poisonous berries are also there to encourage the old to commit suicide. Sorry if I ruined this song for you, but it could have been worse. Trust me, you don’t even get me started on Rudolph. ‘Tis the Season Steve O’Donnell protects ideas. Based in Lancaster, PA, Steve’s practice focuses on helping clients protect their ideas and intellectual property through the use of patents, copyrights and trademarks. http://www.3cpatents.com The Legal Connection E-zine : December 20109 http://www.legalva.com LET’S CONNECT! THE LEGAL CONNECTION HAS A LINKEDIN GROUP Join our group and connect with other legal professionals interested in technology, networking and sharing of practical information. www.tinyurl.com/TLCxnGroup Place Your 125 x 125 Ad Here Click here for details http://www.legaltypist.com/subscribe http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=233447&u=166720&m= 27477&urllink=&afftrack= http://tinyurl.com/dym ofiles http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-3697228-10529936 http://ww w.le galv a.co m Legal Events Calendar Winter 2010 www.tinyurl.com/TLCxnGroupCal

"My best business intelligence, in one easy email…"

*By using the service, you signify your acceptance of JD Supra's Privacy Policy.

Privacy Policy (Updated: October 8, 2015):

hide

JD Supra provides users with access to its legal industry publishing services (the "Service") through its website (the "Website") as well as through other sources. Our policies with regard to data collection and use of personal information of users of the Service, regardless of the manner in which users access the Service, and visitors to the Website are set forth in this statement ("Policy"). By using the Service, you signify your acceptance of this Policy.

The information and data collected is used to authenticate users and to send notifications relating to the Service, including email alerts to which users have subscribed; to manage the Service and Website, to improve the Service and to customize the user's experience. This information is also provided to the authors of the content to give them insight into their readership and help them to improve their content, so that it is most useful for our users.

JD Supra does not sell, rent or otherwise provide your details to third parties, other than to the authors of the content on JD Supra.

If you prefer not to enable cookies, you may change your browser settings to disable cookies; however, please note that rejecting cookies while visiting the Website may result in certain parts of the Website not operating correctly or as efficiently as if cookies were allowed.

Email Choice/Opt-out

Users who opt in to receive emails may choose to no longer receive e-mail updates and newsletters by selecting the "opt-out of future email" option in the email they receive from JD Supra or in their JD Supra account management screen.

Security

JD Supra takes reasonable precautions to insure that user information is kept private. We restrict access to user information to those individuals who reasonably need access to perform their job functions, such as our third party email service, customer service personnel and technical staff. However, please note that no method of transmitting or storing data is completely secure and we cannot guarantee the security of user information. Unauthorized entry or use, hardware or software failure, and other factors may compromise the security of user information at any time.

If you have reason to believe that your interaction with us is no longer secure, you must immediately notify us of the problem by contacting us at info@jdsupra.com. In the unlikely event that we believe that the security of your user information in our possession or control may have been compromised, we may seek to notify you of that development and, if so, will endeavor to do so as promptly as practicable under the circumstances.

Sharing and Disclosure of Information JD Supra Collects

Except as otherwise described in this privacy statement, JD Supra will not disclose personal information to any third party unless we believe that disclosure is necessary to: (1) comply with applicable laws; (2) respond to governmental inquiries or requests; (3) comply with valid legal process; (4) protect the rights, privacy, safety or property of JD Supra, users of the Service, Website visitors or the public; (5) permit us to pursue available remedies or limit the damages that we may sustain; and (6) enforce our Terms & Conditions of Use.

In the event there is a change in the corporate structure of JD Supra such as, but not limited to, merger, consolidation, sale, liquidation or transfer of substantial assets, JD Supra may, in its sole discretion, transfer, sell or assign information collected on and through the Service to one or more affiliated or unaffiliated third parties.

Links to Other Websites

This Website and the Service may contain links to other websites. The operator of such other websites may collect information about you, including through cookies or other technologies. If you are using the Service through the Website and link to another site, you will leave the Website and this Policy will not apply to your use of and activity on those other sites. We encourage you to read the legal notices posted on those sites, including their privacy policies. We shall have no responsibility or liability for your visitation to, and the data collection and use practices of, such other sites. This Policy applies solely to the information collected in connection with your use of this Website and does not apply to any practices conducted offline or in connection with any other websites.

Changes in Our Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to change this Policy at any time. Please refer to the date at the top of this page to determine when this Policy was last revised. Any changes to our privacy policy will become effective upon posting of the revised policy on the Website. By continuing to use the Service or Website following such changes, you will be deemed to have agreed to such changes. If you do not agree with the terms of this Policy, as it may be amended from time to time, in whole or part, please do not continue using the Service or the Website.

Contacting JD Supra

If you have any questions about this privacy statement, the practices of this site, your dealings with this Web site, or if you would like to change any of the information you have provided to us, please contact us at: info@jdsupra.com.

- hide

*With LinkedIn, you don't need to create a separate login to manage your free JD Supra account, and we can make suggestions based on your needs and interests. We will not post anything on LinkedIn in your name. Or, sign up using your email address.